DW1650

BenQ's latest burner hasn't changed dramatically since the previous version, the DW1640. In fact, almost all the specifications are the same. The only difference we could see was a slight increase in power requirements and an update of it proprietary burning software, QSuite, from 1.0 to 2.1.

QSuite features BenQ's SolidBurn technology, which looks to improve the burn quality of any media type you use, over time - without the hassle of constant firmware upgrades. While we couldn't test this over time, this feature allows the BenQ burner to be compatible with a wider range of DVD media.

In our tests, we burnt to 2.4x Verbatim DVD+R DL discs (which Verbatim claims can be written to at up to 6x with compatible drives). These were recognised at their default 2.4x speed, not higher. This resulted in a slow 7.85GB double-layer burn of 46min. The burner is capable of burning a full double-layer disc in around 17min when burning at 8x. The burn quality of this disc was good, however, during read tests the transfer rate experienced a few spikes as the drive read data on the outer edge of the disc.

The double-layer disc was readable in most drives except the older Pioneer 107D, despite us setting the book type to DVD-ROM. The ability to set the book type is an invaluable function of the BenQ QSuite when burning discs to make them compatible with older drives and DVD players. Our single layer DVD+R tests burnt at 8x in 8min 13sec, about one and a half minutes off the current pace. DVD read speeds from this drive averaged 11.69MBps.